Beliefs
Beliefs are assumptions based on faith of individuals or groups in someone or something. Christianly believes in one almighty god that they trust in, while Neopaganism believed in multiple gods. Within Charmed, it does not narrow in on one belief system, god, goddess, entity, etc. Throughout the series, they represent a whole facet of different religious and spiritual. Episodes can be based on diverging aspects of Wicca, Christianity, Greek mythology, Buddhism, Atheist, Agnostic, etc. Charmed showcases many versions of religion but does not order them hierarchically. There is a higher power that resides above them, called the Elders. They live in the Heavens along with Whitelighters; guardian angels who they oversee. Elders do not translate into godlike beings, but they are seen as a superior person with many years of wisdom and experience that have governance over the forces of good. They communicate with witches, through Whitelighters, messages of beings or events that will threaten the greater good. They are not the ultimate power as the Angel of Density and the Angel of Death are above them. The show alludes to greater forces above all of Angels, Whitelighters, and Elders, but never brings it to the forefront. God in Christianity is seen as perfect, whereas gods/goddess within Neopaganism are deities that are not. The Charmed One’s affiliation with the Elders is similar to Neopaganism. The Elders can loosely be seen as gods, but are in no means perfect in the view of the sister witches. They support them and can nudge them towards terrible threats of the world. The sisters' relationship with the Elders is one of guidance, but also opposition as their viewpoints diverge at times. For instance, Piper refuses to practice magic until Elders reverse their ill-treatment towards her Whitelighter husband Leo. Ultimately though, the sisters either conform to the Elders wishes, Elders compromise with the witches, or the sisters just act independently. In Christianity, God’s word is concrete and worshippers must abide by it, if they are going to members of this religion. Whereas, in Neopaganism and Charmed the relationship between people and deities is more fluid. Neopaganism and this tv series both share a common faith in the supernatural.
Within Christianity, there is a belief that every person is born with sin. This distinguishes them from God, placing them under God’s judgment rather than on par. Through Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, sin can be overcome by people who accept Christ. While Neopaganism simply does not recognize sin within its belief system; believe people are born holy. Within Charmed, there is a belief that sin is in everyone. In particular, the participants of the Underworld are people or creatures who give in and embrace sin. While, the good recognize that it exists but choose to resist it and behave according to the greater good. When a person first unlocks their supernatural powers, they have a twenty-four window where, by their own free will, they choose to practice good or bad witchcraft. People are born with evil and good in them and they choice their own path. Although both sides can be swayed by the other to change, but more frequently evil tries to turn good evil. Though in virtually every episode it concludes with good prevailing over evil.
The idea of Heaven is a vital one for Christian believers, as great devotion in their life is rewarded with entrance into heaven. There are varying views of afterlife with Neopaganism, but commonly the idea is that afterlife is a resting stop till one is reincarnated. In the world of Charmed, when good people pass they proceed to the afterlife. Good does not mean a person who has a strong faith, but one who strives not to sin and lived a morally sound life. People or demonic beings who do not live in this manner got to the wasteland to suffer for eternity. In Christianity, there is only life on earth, heaven, and hell. In Neopaganism, “We have no concept of “eternal” punishment or damnation”. However, within Charmed there are multiple dimensions besides these outlooks. There are different planes of existence. For instance, humans and good witches live in the Physical plane, the Elders live in the Heavens plane, and the demons live in the Underworld Plane. When a person passes, they are taken by the Angel of Death to the Ghostly Plane before moving on to the afterlife.
